I walk beside the river most days, and on many of those days I stop at the place where I’ve watched some folks walk across it to the other side—the side where God waits patiently for us to come and join Him. Over the past few years, I’ve begun to notice things—things that had somehow slipped past me before—and one of those things is that the river is never the same. I’ve come to the conclusion it’s different for each of us, and the reason is we fill it with our own thoughts and deeds, hopes and dreams, fears and confusion. The river can be peaceful and serene, it can be raging and angry, or it can be something in between or on either side of those things. In a nutshell, it is what we allow it to be, because in the end, it’s all about choices, and we’re the ones making them. And the biggest choice we will ever make is whether or not we cross that river.

I’ve got a lot more to say about “The River Between”, and you’ll find some of it in the first book in the series, “JULI”. I’ve also written the second in the series, but haven’t decided on a title

JULI is available through AMAZON for the super low price of $2.99 for the Kindle version! And, it’s free if you have Kindle Unlimited! It’s also available in paperback for only $6.90.

After all the time Jesus had spent with the disciples, telling them time and again He would return from the grave, they were still frightened when He appeared before them. And, even after He showed them the scars on His hands and feet, they still didn’t think it was Him. What was wrong with these guys?

Probably the same thing that’s wrong with most of us: short memories. We go through much of our time here on earth—especially in the U.S.—living a relative life of ease, never giving much thought to all our blessings and where they come from.

We hear the good news that Jesus will one day return, and we talk about how we can’t wait for that glorious day, while secretly we hope our faith is strong enough to get us into heaven. Why? Why are we troubled? Why do we have doubts?

He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds.” Luke 24:38

When I was a young boy, my Uncle Marvin used to take us to the lake to water ski, fish, and swim. I can remember long rides—they seemed long at the time—to the lake, and how my cousin Ed and I would be so excited, anticipating the fun we were going to have. As we got close to the lake, we would sit shoulder to shoulder in the backseat, noses nearly touching the window, watching excitedly for the first glimpse of the lake. When we’d finally see it, we’d shout in unison, “There it is!”

I feel the same excitement and anticipation when I think about Jesus’ return.

I can hardly wait!

… looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13